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Daily Business Report — June 7, 2010

Military Construction Spending Boosts S.D. Economy

A multi-billion dollar increase in local military-construction spending is providing a critical buffer to the San Diego economy during the national recession, according to a report released last week. “The explosion of military construction spending has been very significant in offsetting some of the damage of the recession,” said Lynn Reaser, chief economist of the Fermanian Business & Economic Institute at Point Loma Nazarene University.

The Fermanian Institute conducted the study for the San Diego Military Advisory Council, a nonprofit group that promotes the common interests of the military and business communities in San Diego.

The study found that military construction spending in San Diego County quadrupled over the past three years to a total of $1.4 billion this year and $1.6 billion in 2011.

Camp Pendleton received the largest share, at nearly two-fifths of the total, with the remainder divided among the five other major Navy and Marine Corps installations in San Diego County.

Reaser said military construction encompasses new communications facilities, barracks, dining halls and a new hospital at Camp Pendleton. The new buildings are constructed to the latest standards for energy efficiency.

For every $100 spent on military construction, another $75 of spending is generated in the local economy, much of it with small businesses, Reaser said. (San Diego News Network)

Broadcaster Gloria Penner to Receive YWCA Award

Gloria Penner

Veteran radio and television broadcaster Gloria Penner will receive the “Spirit of Commitment Award” from the YWCA of San Diego County as part of the organization’s annual Tribute to Women & Industry (TWIN) awards on June 18. The award is in honor of Penner’s dedication and leadership. The TWIN Awards will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Grande Ballroom of the Sheraton Hotel and Marina, 1380 Harbor Island Drive.

Penner, who started her radio career in San Francisco in the 1950s. Her first job in television came after a move to Washington, D.C., where she was associate producer of the Washington segment of the “Today Show.” After a stint in Hawaii and a return to Washington, D.C., she relocated to San Diego and took a few years off for family life. She joined KPBS Television in 1969. Her awards include seven Emmys, five Golden Mikes and two Gracies from the American Federation of Women in Radio and Television.

The keynote speaker for theTWIN Awards is Trisha Meili, author of the best-selling memoir, “I am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility.”

CEO Appointed for BeneChill

Alan Raffensperger

Amgen executive Alan Raffensperger has been appointed CEO of BeneChill, a privately held medical device company that is launching its first product later this year in Europe — a cooling device for use by emergency response teams in the field. Raffensperger joins BeneChill from his post as executive director and franchise head of nephrology for Amgen. He joined Amgen in 2005 as general manager of the Nordic and Baltic Region, overseeing operations in eight countries from his Sweden base. Prior to Amgen, Raffensperger was with Hoffman La Roche for 10 years and was the CEO for Swedemed, a privately-held developer of an advanced ultrasonic surgery system. He began his career with Pharmacia.

Program Focuses on Contracting Opportunities

Shirley Grothen of the Port of San Diego, Rochelle Lowe of SAIC and Emily Yanushka of the San Diego County Water Authority will discuss what employers should know to contract with public and private businesses at a June 15 luncheon program sponsored by the Asian Business Association. It will be from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Catamaran Resort & Spa, 3999 Mission Blvd., in San Diego. The cost is $20 for ABA members and $30 for nonmembers. For more information, call Joni Low at (858) 277-2822. To reserve a spot, visit abasd.org.

Nonprofit Symposium Set for June 16 at USD

Key findings from the 2010 Nonprofit Employment Trends Survey will be presented at the June 16 symposium on Nonprofit Human Resources Management at the University of San Diego. Among the findings: the nonprofit job market appears to be stabilizing, nonprofits are doing more with less and succession planning continues to be a problem for organizations. The symposium will be at 1 p.m. in Warren Auditorium of Mother Rosalie Hill Hall on the USD campus. Following the presentation, nonprofit human resource experts from San Diego and across the country will conduct seminars focused on such themes as “Recruiting and Maintaining a Diverse Workforce” to “Working Across Generations.”

County Names Internal Affairs Director

Joe Cordero, human resources director for county government’s Community Service Group, has been appointed director of the Office of Internal Affairs. A career public servant, Cordero previously worked as a human resources manager for the county, responsible for community outreach and recruitment programs. Before his county employment, Cordero held several positions in higher education including CSU San Marcos and UCSD.

UCSD Graduate Students Take Entrepreneurial Awards

A team of graduate business students from the Rady School of Management and graduate science students from other schools at UCSD have won $25,000 cash and $15,000 in legal services for their business plan for a wireless heart monitor that can be worn outside of a person’s clothes. The team competed in The Entrepreneur Challenge on campus. In addition to winning the first place, the team — called Cognionics — took home a $1,000 prize for being the audience favorite and a $2,000 prize for having the best high-tech and information-technology device.

Jacobs School of Engineering Ph.D. student Mike Chi developed the device and was the main architect of the team’s technical and business strategy. Rady School of Management students Silvia Mah, Lydia Grypma, Kabir Gambhir, Ali Esteghlalian and Xiluo Chen helped Chi develop the business plan. Rady students helped develop business plans developed at the William J. von Liebig Center and with advisor Michael Elconin.

Second place winners, Halo Imaging, developed a business plan for a portable device that can be used by paramedics to scan a patients’ brain before the patient arrives at the hospital. The team of business students from the Rady School of Management are Ang Shih, Byron Myers, Natalia O’Connor and Rohit Gupta. They won $10,000 cash and $10,000 in legal services. They also won $2,500 cash and $5,000 in legal services for a previous round of the competition for having the best executive summary and $2,000 for having the best biotech and life sciences business plan.

Team Interra Energy also won $2,000 in the category of clean technology. Rady School of Management student Thomas Del Monte led the team. Del Monte developed a business plan for a technology that converts biomass to energy and sequesters carbon in soil to improve soil quality. Rady School students Amanda Esquivel, Amparo Ng, Anna Runyan, Eunice Martinez, Ian Foster, James Baggerly and Tony Principi are helping him advance the business in their Lab to Market class.

Sailing Vessel Art Adorns Shelter Island Business

Eichenlaub Mural

A mural commemorating a world-famous sailing vessel now adorns the entire side of Eichenlaub Marine on Shelter Island. “Evolution of a Yacht,” by artist Linda Churchill, was dedicated Friday at Eichenlaub Marine, 2608 Shelter Island Drive. The mural depicts the racing yacht “Cadenza,” designed, owned and built by Carl Eichenlaub, president of Eichenlaub Marine. The 45-foot aluminum vessel has sailed in dozens of races. Eichenlaub has won prestigious races such as the Lipton Cup and the San Francisco Big Boat Series. Last year, at age 79, Eichenlaub sailed in the 62nd annual Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race.

Eichenlaub’s facility on Shelter Island has been a fixture since the 1950s and he is known worldwide for his skill in designing, building and sailing vessels. Last year, he completed a nearly $1.2 million remodel on his facility.

Eichenlaub and his wife, Jean, who also serves as vice president of the business, commissioned Linda Churchill to paint “Evolution of a Yacht.” Churchill began the project last summer and completed it in November 2009. The estimated cost of the artwork was $12,000.

Small Business Workshops

• June 8 –Buying a Business – Carlsbad – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at National University (705 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad 92011; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

• June 9 – Business Plan 101: How to Develop Your Best Competitive Advantage – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Point Loma Nazarene University in Mission Valley (4007 Camino del Rio South, San Diego 92108; pre-paid registration $79, $89 at the door).

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We Want Your Opinions on San Diego’s Big Issues
In the coming months, Probosky Research (one of California’s leading opinion research firms) will continue its partnership with SD METRO to survey San Diego residents about topics of interest to our readers. We’d like to throw open the door for suggestions for topics. What do you want to know? What do you think you know, but aren’t sure? What are you certain you know, but want to prove it beyond doubt? Ideally, we’d like to see questions that have to do with public policy.
Some areas may include Mayor Filner’s first 100 days job performance, should the city be responsible for economic growth and the creation of new jobs, how important are infrastructure improvements to our daily lives (streets and bridges, etc.), how important is water independence, how satisfied are residents with public transit or how do city residents value Balboa Park and other open spaces? Do you believe the City Council should revive the Plaza de Panama plan for Balboa Park?
You can email Probolsky Research directly with your ideas: info@probolskyresearch.com